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Monthly Archives: May 2017

J.A. Happ JerseyShane Vereen Jersey Fates, which once seemed just consequences of age or bad luck or tragic personal problems, now are unveiled as connected to the sport they played for America’s entertainment.

Sayers is 73. Another Hall of Famer from his heyday, tight end John Mackey, lost his battle with dementia six years ago, at 69. Sayers’ story mimics Mackey’s in numerous disturbing ways: public appearances where he didn’t recognize friends or acknowledge fans or connect with highlights of his own career.

Kevin Turner challenged the NFL’s settlement of the class-action concussion lawsuit based on his post-career struggles. After he died a year ago this month, the renowned researchers at Boston University discovered Turner actually had CTE, which produced symptoms almost identical to those associated with ALS.

The fan base plans to take it out on president Bruce Allen — who, by recent accounts, flexed his internal muscle way too hard to bring everything to this point — in Friday’s proposed protest march at the team’s suburban headquarters. Shades of Lions fans rebelling against Matt Millen. By extension, of course, the secondary target will be owner Dan Snyder, so a reference to Orioles fans once marching against Peter Angelos fits here, too.

Whatever the direct motivation, though, this is fairly safe to guess: More than a few marchers will be wearing Griffin or Cousins jerseys.

There are too many ingredients in this nasty stew to separate out a main one. But the actual on-field product, and the players brought in to improve it and bring it back to the standards the D.C. metro area once took for granted, stands out among them all.

The Phillies minor-leaguer who lost an eye in a freakish training accident last summer announced his retirement Wednesday in an emotion-filled essay on ESPN.com .

Matt Imhof lost his right eye last June after a resistance band he was using in a workout in Florida snapped off the wall and a metal piece hit him in the face. Doctors were unable to salvage his eye.

He wrote Wednesday under the headline I won’t be defined by my worst day.

Imhof, 23, offered his gratitude to the doctor who performed one of the surgeries that replaced the damaged eye with a prosthetic one, admitting that he was angry, depressed, confused but mostly, I was scared.

Elite Kids Quincy Enunwa Jersey But even with a schedule change, I don’t know that the WBC would get any more interesting or compelling. Maybe baseball just isn’t a sport that can make for good tournament-style play. This is probably why it’s been on and off as an Olympic sport for a long time. Even the College World Series has limited appeal beyond the participating schools, with nowhere near the wide interest and enthusiasm of the NCAA basketball tournament or even the College Football Playoff.

With respect to Manfred, I would be fine if the 2017 World Baseball Classic was the final one. I suspect a lot of others feel the same. I’ve seen no indication of a swell of enthusiasm among MLB fans, and I don’t think the tournament affects baseball’s international appeal either way. The whole thing is just kinda meh.

During the madness of the NFL Draft, NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport had a surprising report: The Browns were trying to trade for Redskins QB Kirk Cousins.

Once the draft was over, Browns general manager Sashi Brown spoke to reporters to address questions about the team’s picks, and briefly about the Cousins rumor. According to The Chronicle-Telegram, he called the speculation “bad reporting.”

“There’s no specific deal in place or plan in place to go acquire a veteran QB at this point,” he added.

The 5-11, 186-pound Brooklyn native is also lightning fast and ran a 4.31-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine. He’s a dynamic playmaker, especially in the open field, and could have an immediate impact as a kick returner like Tyreek Hill did last season for the Chiefs.

“He can run like a deer,” former Jaguars receivers coach Jerry Sullivan told Omnisport when asked about Samuel. “It’s going to take some time for him to get comfortable at the position, but I think he’s got some tools to work with.”

What’s intriguing about the pick is the similarity between Samuel and Carolina’s first-round pick, Stanford running back Christian McCaffrey.

In Carolina, Samuel will have the chance to help Panthers quarterback Cam Newton at receiver, but the Panthers could also use him as an explosive option out of the backfield.

With big receivers outside in Kelvin Benjamin and Devin Funchess and Pro Bowl tight end Greg Olsen, the Panthers will be a difficult team to gameplan against with their two new playmaking rookies.

Nobody will argue Lynch over Peterson as an all-time NFL rusher, but the former is 13 months younger than the latter and is not coming off a season marred by a knee injury. The 2017 season will be Peterson’s 11th in the league.

Kids Mike Purcell Jersey In the mind of SN’s Vinnie Iyer, Peterson, a physical running back whose size is comparable to that of Lynch, makes total sense for the Raiders. In fact, Peterson is the only person on this list who makes as much (if not more) sense than Lynch.

Both teams entered 2017 with a lot of salary cap space and both were aggressive early in free agency. The Jaguars added defensive help in the form of defensive lineman Calais Campbell, safety Barry Church and cornerback A.J. Bouye.

The Browns bolstered their offensive line by signing former Packers center JC Tretter and former Bengals guard Kevin Zeitler. The Browns also re-signed guard Joel Bitonio. Then the Browns traded for quarterback Brock Osweiler from the Texans in a deal that was more about acquiring another second-round pick next year than it was about getting Osweiler, who will probably never suit up for the Browns. Cleveland now has eight first- and second-round picks over the next two years, meaning the Browns could actually be a contender in the AFC North by 2018.Kids Jacksonville Jaguars Jersey
We could be seeing a changing of the guard in the NFL soon. Heck, even the Rams made some decent moves in signing offensive tackle Andrew Whitworth from the Bengals and former Bills wideout Robert Woods.

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After nine years of efforts by supporters, the Astrodome has finally been declared a state antiquities landmark in Texas.

Yes, apparently the process to gain landmark status in Texas is so arduous that even famous domed structure once known as the Eighth Wonder of the World wasn’t a gimme. It almost makes you wonder about that little Alamo place in San Antonio and that big domed building in Austin.

For people to try to second-guess something he did, even though we won, you kind of just laugh at it. We ride and die on his every move, and he’s the ultimate captain of our ship. Without him and the tone he sets, none of us would be doing what we do.

Critics roasted Maddon’s strategy in the final two World Series games, particularly his use of closer Aroldis Chapman. Chapman himself threw more gas on that fire, telling reporters, He abused me a bit on how much he made me pitch, and sometimes he made me pitch when I didn’t need to pitch.

Pitching coach Chris Bosio said he understands Chapman is a warrior, but his words about Maddon were unfair.

Carlton Fisk Game Jersey The bottom line is we got it done, Bosio said. You can’t fault anybody or pick anybody apart when you win it all, especially with what we had to overcome.

Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein said he understands the continued second-guessing of Maddon’s strategy is just part of sports.

Listen, the great part about the game is everyone manages along with the manager, (and) second guesses, Epstein said. Everyone ‘GMs’ along with the GM and second-guesses. Ultimately, you do a great job and win. That speaks for itself. He has the ultimate defense.

The Orioles starter took not one, but two line-drives on consecutive batters in the second inning vs. the White Sox.

The first liner came off the bat of Jose Abreu, and looked to catch Miley right in the wrist.

It’s not often you see a pitcher hit by one comebacker, but two in one night? Talk about an unlucky evening.

The Braves and Dodgers fought a seesaw battle down the stretch, with the race for the 1982 NL West title coming down to the final day of the season.

Coincidentally, for Diamond and for the Braves, the regular season concluded in the same place it began: San Diego’s Jack Murphy Stadium.

The Braves, entering the day with a one-game lead, lost to the Padres 5-1 and had to wait for the conclusion of the Dodgers’ game against the Giants to determine whether they’d soak themselves in champagne or travel to Los Angeles for a one-game playoff the next day.

Billy Beane just keeps wheeling and dealing. The A’s signed Trevor Plouffe to a decent contract, and same with Rajai Davis. While Oakland is seemingly adamant on rebuilding around Sonny Gray in the rotation, it still would shock no one if Beane decided to trade him at the deadline for more youth. But, for now, the A’s might have just enough in the offense and pitching to bug some teams in the AL West.

Unlike former Bears QB Jay Cutler, Romo is joining a No. 1 announce team, not a No. 2. That means he’ll be working the biggest games that go out to the largest amount of viewers.

Limited Mens Eli Rogers Jersey Romo also be in a two-person booth with Nantz. Cutler will be supported by play-by-play announcer Kevin Burkhardt and color commentator Charles Davis.

Simms, who held CBS’s No. 1 game analyst job for 20 years, has been moved to The NFL Today pregame show to make room for Romo. So Romo will have to grow and make mistakes on the job with his predecessor looking over his shoulder.

Another challenge for Romo, who spent his playing career in the NFC: He’ll be calling CBS’s AFC package, where he’s not as familiar with the players, coaches and teams.

If Kizer busts, then it’s not that big of a deal. He’ll simply be added to that alphabet soup of former Browns’ quarterbacks.

The potential payoff, however, isn’t all that different than the scenario in which the Browns could have taken Mitchell Trubisky. Kizer is from Toledo, Ohio. Kizer had two years as a starter at a major program, and he has shown potential in the down-field passing game. A redshirt year or two in Cleveland wouldn’t hurt, but that’s hard to come by. Kessler didn’t get it.Limited Mens Nate Stupar Jersey
It’s difficult to envision Kizer as a franchise quarterback, given the 4-8 record he led the Irish to last season, and it seems unlikely he’s the lottery ticket the Browns have been looking for. There’s still an intrigue, and it’s worth a shot to see if there’s any value there.

Drew Pearson was urged to troll Eagles fans at last week’s NFL Draft in Philadelphia.

The former Cowboys wide receiver told PFT Live on Monday that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell encouraged his comments before announcing Dallas’ second-round selection of Colorado cornerback Chidobe Awuzie on Friday.

Here’s why that’s awkward: Kelly once threatened a bouncer in a Buffalo, N.Y., bar saying he would “go to my car and get my AK-47 and spray this place.” He was charged with disorderly conduct, reaching a plea deal in January of 2015 and performing 50 hours of community service.

The incident occurred in 2014, when Kelly was still an Ole Miss commit fresh out of East Mississippi Community College. He then led the Rebels for two seasons, going 14-8. Kelly threw for 5,800 yards and 50 touchdowns to only 21 interceptions during that stretch, but several character concerns caused the NFL to not invite him to its combine — and for him to drop to the final pick of the NFL Draft.

Regardless, this will likely result in an awkward meeting at NFL Network studios. In giving up this year’s No. 32 pick to the Saints for Cooks, who was the No. 20 overall pick in 2014, the Patriots get someone who can give their current offense some of the best elements they had in Moss and Welker.

Cooks was not the go-to guy in New Orleans. That will change in New England, as his speed, quickness and versatility will be used to create mismatches Brady can exploit. Julian Edelman and Hogan can help Cooks enjoy a more high-target, amoebic role.

DeMario Davis Elite Jersey Of course it’s Houston Rockets vs. Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round. Of course it’s James Harden vs. Russell Westbrook. The two leading MVP candidates square off against each, settling their candidacies for the award once and for all.

No, that’s not really fair — Houston is favored because they won more and have a better team, and the MVP is a team award. However, the narrative will fall squarely on those two. There’s no way around it, and you can only imagine how the crowd will start buzzing or Twitter would start spazzing out when those two end up guarding each other for a possession. It will happen, someone will get roasted (that will 100 percent happen), and it will be a magical moment.Authentic Kids Eric Rowe Jersey
Oklahoma City implodes whenever Westbrook isn’t on the floor, and Houston has one of the league’s best benches — with two Sixth Man of the Year candidates! One key will be surviving the Westbrook-less stretches despite that.

The home team is 8-0 SU and 6-2 ATS in the last eight games between these two teams. The Grizzlies weren’t competitive in the first two games of the series, but this time around they’ll enter San Antonio with plenty of confidence and momentum. How much that confidence and momentum will matter against one of the league’s best home teams is yet to be determined.

The most recent one happened with the No. 26 pick in 2011. Essentially, the Ravens tried to make a trade, but ran out of time.

Apparently, the team saw that there were a bunch of players available that the team would have been very satisfied to draft, and therefore were entertaining offers to trade back into either the later first round or even the second round, where they could still get one of the guys on their draft board and accumulate additional picks as well.

For all that’s said that the Capitals vs. Penguins matchups are more than Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby, the two captains sure made Game 1 all about themselves. Crosby scored twice in 52 seconds to open the second, while Ovechkin kicked off a Capitals comeback with a goal 17 minutes later.Mens Shamarko Thomas Jersey
It didn’t end that way, with Evgeny Kuznetsov scoring the tying goal eight minutes into the third and Nick Bonino countering with a backbreaker four minutes later.

Even still, in the Capitals’ 3-2 loss, the hockey world was given a treat in seeing Ovechkin and Crosby rise to the occasion. If the rest of this series is anything like Game 1, we are in for one incredible playoff series.

When Atlanta did make a run, cutting Washington’s once 20-point lead to just three, it was Wall who came up with a huge chasedown block before added a tough layup and pull-up jumper extending the lead.

These two could be the best two players in their second round series against the Celtics, and that’s a problem for Boston. (Isaiah Thomas should lap Beal, but they can at least play at very similar levels.)

Washington must have known this was possible all along for these two, but it’s still a glorious realization that they’re both finally reaching that potential.

The Kings suddenly have a promising young core with Willie Cauley-Stein, Skal Labissiere, and Buddy Hield. What they need is a point guard who can push the pace, get after it defensively, and put everyone else in a position to score. Fox fits the bill. He embarrassed Lonzo Ball and UCLA in the Sweet 16 and showed a unique ability to put pressure on opposing defenses throughout the year. He’d be a god send for Sacramento.